The prestige play: How luxury brands can dominate sports

March 24, 2025

Tom Gent is head of creative at Founder Creative

The intersection of sports and luxury has achieved significant attention over the years.

Recently, we’ve seen luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton spending millions to reach the massive international audiences that mainstream sports provide. In a striking departure from tradition, luxury brands are no longer confining their sports marketing strategies to “old money” institutions like polo, tennis and golf.

Instead, they are making a bold leap into the world of mass appeal; and for good reason.

A perfect match matters
Very few events can give you the kind of exposure a mainstream sporting event can.

With the 2024 Olympics alone being streamed a record-breaking 218 million times according to the BBC, that presents a significant opportunity for luxury brands to get in front of consumers.

But how can they ensure they make inroads with this unexpected audience whilst balancing their heritage of exclusivity with this new, more mainstream relatability?

Luxury brands have a delicate balancing act to pull off: staying exclusive while making meaningful connections with a wider audience. And few things bring people together like sport.

Major sporting events capture global attention, drawing in die-hard fans and casual viewers. For luxury brands looking to step into this space, it’s a golden opportunity to engage with a broad audience while maintaining an air of prestige.

Luxury brands hit the arena
Sport is universal. It reaches every age, background and corner of society. It’s packed with record-breaking moments, underdog victories and raw emotion.

Being part of that energy can be incredibly powerful for a brand. But while the right partnership can elevate your brand, the wrong one can do the opposite.

Not every sporting event, team or athlete is the right match. Just because something is popular doesn’t mean it aligns with your values.

Luxury is built on craftsmanship, heritage and exclusivity, so partnerships need to feel authentic and aspirational, not opportunistic.

Nowadays, athletes are more than just competitors. They’re brands with massive followings.

Social media has given them a direct line to the public, which means whatever they say or do reflects on the brands they’re associated with. So, if an athlete’s values don’t align with yours, that partnership can quickly turn into a liability.

It’s not just individuals you need to vet. Sporting organizations and governing bodies come with their own baggage.

Scandals, corruption and controversies can tarnish a brand by association. Once your name is linked to something, it’s out there for good.

For luxury brands, sports partnerships should be about more than just visibility: they should enhance desirability. It’s not about chasing trends but creating associations that feel aspirational and authentic.

So choose wisely. The right partnership won’t just get you seen, it will make people feel something.

In luxury, that’s what really matters.

Out with the old, in with the new?
Social media offers luxury brands a way to make inroads with new, diverse audiences without losing that sense of prestige.

By leveraging influencers and content creators, luxury brands can tap into the passion of sports fans and craft stories that resonate with both long-time devotees and newcomers. Even without a big sponsorship deal, luxury brands can still be a part of the conversation and create captivating content that aligns with their high-end image.

One of the biggest advantages of social media is its ability to reach a broad audience without the hefty price tag of traditional advertising.

Platforms like TikTok, Instagram and X allow luxury brands to engage with different demographics, whether that’s younger, trend-driven consumers or established, loyal followers, while still maintaining the exclusivity that defines them.

The key is creating content that feels personal, relevant and tied to the brand’s heritage, rather than forcing a generic message. The goal isn’t to simply blend in with the crowd, but to offer something that feels exclusive and relatable.

Take Tag Heuer’s partnership with Formula 1. Instead of just pushing products, it aligns with the precision, speed and innovation of F1, which naturally complements their brand values. The association isn’t about mass appeal, it’s about connecting with fans who value high performance and craftsmanship.

For luxury brands it’s all about finding that perfect match. Whether it’s a high-end car brand creating a racing team such as Aston Martin or a fashion house aligning with an elite athlete, such as Prada and Marcus Rashford, the partnership has to feel natural.

The goal is to craft a story that speaks to both legacy and modernity, bringing the brand’s exclusive image to a new generation of fans.

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The prestige play: How luxury brands can dominate sports

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